In case you haven’t heard today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  A day we set aside to remember the awesomeness that was MLK.  He was a powerful, yet peaceful man who left a huge impact on our world.  He had such an impact on my husband and I we decided to name our daughter after him, Mikayla Lillian Kickert.  Here she is sporting her MLK shirt and marching (by marching I mean riding very snuggled up in her stroller) with us in the annual MLK march/service in BG interspersed with some MLK’s most impressionable quotes (in my mind anyway). 

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.

He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.

Mikayla can’t yet grasp the prophetic significance that her name holds, but my dream is that one day she will.  With that being said, here is my "I have a dream" speech for my daughter:

I have a dream that Mikayla will not look at the color of people’s skin, but rather their true being.  Befriend who she wants and love everyone, even those she hates.

I have a dream that Mikayla will treat everyone as equals.

I have a dream that my daughter will grow up in a world that is loving and non-judgmental.  A world that embraces everyone regardless of race, class or ethnicity.

I have a dream that Mikayla will succeed in her life dreams doing and becoming whatever she chooses.

I have a dream that my daughter will find a man that makes her as happy as Ben makes me.  I dream that she will be blessed with a loving family.

I have a dream that Mikayla will always have food, clothing and shelter to meet her basic needs.

I have a dream that Mikayla will embrace her namesake and strive to make the dreams of Reverend MLK come alive in her world.

I have a dream that Mikayla will live in a world where she is free to make her own choices and not be ridiculed because of them.

I have a dream that Mikayla will always feel safe and loved.

I have a dream that Mikayla will be open minded and adventurous.

I have a dream that Mikayla will keep her innocence and inquisitiveness her entire life. 

I have a dream that Mikayla will be a nurturer, lover and helper.

I have a dream that Mikayla will not only embrace the characteristics and qualities of MLK, but also those of Jesus. 

I have a dream that Mikayla will love the poor, embrace the outcasts, and rescue the marginalized.

I have a dream today!

I have many more dreams for my daughter, but these are the ones that come to mind this evening.  My speech is not quite as powerful as MLK’s was, but there it is.